At the start of a new school year schools may be confronted by students who have forgotten school rules and remain in ‘holiday mode’. While detentions, suspensions and expulsions are all necessary by-products of students’ misbehaviour, imposing a discipline policy is often a source of angst for all involved and affected. Common across all jurisdictions is the need for procedural fairness in the imposition of a form of discipline and the importance of encouraging positive student behaviour.